BENGALURU: The Axiom-4 mission, which was scheduled to carry Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others to the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, has been postponed again, marking the second delay in the launch.

The launch was earlier deferred from 10 June to 11 June due to adverse weather conditions. This time, a Liquid Oxygen (LOx) leak in SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has caused the delay. The issue remains unresolved, and a new launch date has not yet been announced.

SpaceX confirmed the postponement via X. The Axiom Space social media team said: “Standing down from the Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the Space Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections. Once complete – and pending Range availability – we will share a new launch date.”

Notably, ISRO is collaborating with NASA for the mission. It has invested Rs 550 crore in the project and has deputed Group Captain Shukla, one of the four selected astronauts, as the mission pilot. He has been tasked with docking the spacecraft to the ISS during the 14-day mission.